AN: Before starting this chapter I want to give a bit of a heads up before we start. This chapter is going to be set 10 years before the current events of the story, with Hibiki telling the story. This won't be purely from her point of view, more just a general showing of the events that happened. So if the writing seems a little weird that is probably why. Also before I forget, this chapter will deal with the death of a character and has a few descriptions of blood, so if you feel a bit bothered by that sort of thing, you've been warned. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the Chapter.
Chapter 20: The Surge
Pokemon League, 10 years ago…
The main plaza of the League was bustling with a lot of activity, various people walking about and trainers battling in a few surrounding arenas. Among them was a family of three, a mom and two kids, trying to stay hidden as they made their way to the back of the main building. "Are we almost there yet?" a young Hibiki asked quietly.
"Yes sweetie, just keep quiet. I don't want anyone to follow us when we go see your grandmother." Aria told her daughter. Hibiki nodded as she held her mother's hand and looked around at the various people having fun. As she did, some of the screens around the arena buzzed on and an announcer came on screen.
"We would like to congratulate Adagio Starfall on getting to the finals of this year's Pokemon League Tournament, making this her 5th consecutive Finals placement. Her opponent this year put up a hard fight, but Adagio managed to squeak out a victory. To congratulate her, we would like to have Champion Symphia say a few words for her familiar challenger."
"Did you hear that Mom? Grandma's going to be speaking on the screen." Echo said happily. The group stopped and looked up at the screen in time for their grandmother to appear.
"A few words would be doing her a disservice. In my 20 years as Pokemon Champion, I don't think I've ever had a challenger as spirited or as determined as Adagio. Some might call it favoritism, and while there is definitely some truth to that, I feel like I need to remind you all that she has proven herself quite well. More than anything, I feel like this time around she might actually beat me, but that doesn't mean I will go down quietly. That's all I really have to say, see you all at the Championship Match."
After she stopped talking and waved goodbye, the gathering people got very excited and started talking more. As they did, Hibiki, Echo, and Aria all continued to move to the main stadium, more than excited to be able to talk to Symphia. After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at the back door to the stadium and quietly made their way in. "Oh thank god, we're out of the crowd." Aria said as she leaned against the wall.
"Looks like you three had a time getting here." Symphia said.
"Grandma!" Hibiki and Echo said before they ran up and hugged their grandmother.
"Oh I missed my grandkids so much. Sorry I haven't been able to come over, League stuff has kept me busy." Symphia said as she lifted the two of them into a big hug.
"It's the same for me sadly, I've had to leave these two in the care of my neighbor due to the amount of gym challengers I've had this time around." Aria said.
"I can imagine, there have been a record number of participants this year according to the amount of finalists we had." Symphia told Aria.
"I'll say, we don't have exact numbers at my gym, but we had around 500 or so participants actually fight me. It got to a point where we had everyone in the gym pitching in to help get through the day." Aria commented. As the two adults talked, Hibiki and Echo heard someone approaching, turning to see Adagio walking up to them.
"I was wondering if I would find you greeting your family Symphia. A pleasure to see you three again by the way." Adagio said with a smile.
"A pleasure to see you again Adagio, and congratulations on that win in the finals. Your opponent was this close to beating you, but you managed to pull out a win." Symphia said.
"Yeah, it was a bit close, but I managed to pull it off." Adagio said as she stretched.
"Miss Adagio, you're so cool. I hope to be a trainer like you someday." Echo said, sparkles in her eyes.
"Looks like you're rubbing off on my kids, Adagio. I wouldn't have it any other way personally, you've been one of the challengers I always look forward to facing every year." Aria told Adagio with a smile.
"Well it's good to see I left a good impression on you when we first fought those five years ago." Adagio responded.
"I could say the same for me. I'm glad I decided to look after you on your first journey through the region, you've grown to be someone I would be proud to call a champion." Symphia said, a knowing smile on her face.
"Then does that mean you'll just give me the win in our match?" Adagio asked. Symphia looked at Adagio with a blank stare before the two laughed at the question.
"Oh… even if you weren't joking, you would know the answer already. I know you prefer a fight over anything else." Symphia said as she gave Adagio a light punch on her shoulder.
"You do know me. Anyway, I need to get ready for the match, so I'll leave you to go spend some time with your family." Adagio said as she turned around and walked away.
"You better get ready, our grandma will beat you." Hibiki yelled down to her.
"Oh? Is that the twin sisters being opposed on a subject matter for once in their lives?" Aria said, in a faux surprised voice.
"You know I only do it to give Hibiki some competition, isn't that right sis?" Echo said. Hibiki turned and gave a pouty face to her sister, which gave Echo a giggle.
"Good to see you two still have that competitive attitude. Now then, what do you say we head up to my room and hang out for a little before the match?" Symphia told the girls. They both nodded enthusiastically and the group headed off to Symphia's personal room in the stadium.
In Symphia's room, which was a big bedroom with a window looking out to the stadium field below, Hibiki and Echo were running around playing with Hikari, Symphia's Shiny Hoennian Gardevoir, with Symphia and Aria keeping an eye on them from the bed. "Good to see those two are as energetic as ever." Symhia said as she leaned back.
"Yep, from what our neighbor said, the two of them have been keeping them busy with all their running around." Aria said, a smile appearing on her face. Symphia simply nodded and smiled a weary smile as she looked at her kids happily playing. "Something bothering you?" Aria asked.
"Why would you ask that?" Symphia responded.
"I've noticed you looked a little more tired than usual and also that you looked exhausted when we got here." Aria told her. There was a moment of silence from her as Aria waited for a response from her mother.
"I don't know if it's the stress of the League catching up to me or a gut feeling, but I have a bad feeling that something is going to happen today." Symphia said as she leaned forward and put her hands on her chin.
"Anything more specific than that?" Aria asked, an eyebrow being raised.
"You know that ever since the incident with Team Magna last year, I've kept myself linked with Magnelyryu to check up on him from time to time. Well recently, I've been feeling the connection getting strained and feeling a sense of urgency from the other side." Symphia explained.
"You sound pretty confident that something is going to happen. Have you talked to Looker or Anabel about this?" Aria questioned.
"I have and they've put some IPP members in the stadium on alert, but something is still bothering me even though I have that security in place." Symphia said with a heavy sigh. Aria stayed quiet before Symphia stood up and walked over to the window overlooking the stadium, which was now having it's viewing stands filled out with people. "Something big is happening Aria. Something big… and possibly frightening." Symphia said.
"No need to be so dramatic grandma, after all, today is a big day for you." Aria told Hibiki. Symphia was silent before she sighed and shook her head to clear her mind of that topic.
"You're right, daughter of mine, I do need to focus on what's directly in front of me. After all, my championship is on the line and I do intend to protect it." Symphia said in a cheerier attitude. Aria simply smiled at that response before looking back at her kids, who seemed to not notice the conversation that they were having. "Now then, how are my grandkids doing? I hope they aren't giving you too much of a hassle, Hikari." Symphia said to the playing group. Hikari nodded no to the question as Hibiki let go of her hand and ran over to her grandmother.
"She's been the best and really nice. How did you train her to be so gentle with her powers?" Hibiki asked.
"Well Hibiki, I taught her myself and I don't mean through normal training. I mean that I used my body to help her understand." Symphia said in a proud voice.
"Wow, so did you let her hit you with attacks?" Hibiki questioned, a bit entranced.
"Yep, I will admit, it did hurt at first because I didn't know what I was doing or how to limit myself, but eventually I did figure it out and it worked very well. That being said, I really don't recommend that you do that unless you develop the same powers as me." Symphia told her daughter.
"You do realize that you're jinxing it right?" Aria told her.
"I do and I will accept the consequences when that happens." Symphia responded.
"Hey grandma, I have a question to ask." Echo said.
"Go ahead, Reverb." Symphia told her other daughter.
"Well… I was just wondering if you're happy with being a Champion." Echo asked. Symphia paused for a moment and really thought about that question, not having an immediate answer ready.
"That is a question I wasn't expecting to hear out of you Echo. That being said, if I had to give an answer, I would say that it's a bit of a complicated matter. I do like being champion because it's introduced me to a lot of life long friends, but it does feel like I have a lot of pressure on me due to representing Alaria in a lot of ways." Symphia said. Echo simply nodded as she absorbed the information while Hibiki was a bit stunned by her response.
"Does that mean that being a champion is a bad thing?" Hibiki questioned.
"God no, it's honestly one of the best things that ever happened to me. It honestly just feels like a lot to take care of and handle sometimes, but I love this position all the same." Symphia said with a smile. Hibiki immediately perked up and looked happy when her grandmother said that. "Don't worry about the adult stuff too much, you've got a bright future ahead of you. Enjoy your life for what it is and you'll be a good trainer in the future." Symphia told Hibiki. Hibiki nodded happily as she was lifted into a hug by her grandmother, which made Echo run up and hug her grandmother's leg.
"Grandma is the best champion there is." Echo said. Aria smiled and was going to say something when there was a knock at the door of the room.
"Sorry for interrupting you Ms. Symphia, but the championship bout is in fifteen minutes."
"I'll be right out!" Symphia called.
"We should probably get to the stands." Aria said as she stood up.
"Probably a good idea, I'll see you all after the match." Symphia responded as she set Hibiki down.
"Have a good match grandma." Hibiki said. Symphia nodded and waved goodbye to her family as they left the room. After they left, Symphia sighed as she stretched, returned Hikari to her Pokeball, and looked out the window.
"I only hope that this feeling that I have is just a feeling." Symphia said to herself before she proceeded to get ready for the match.
The stadium was filled up with several people and everyone was chanting for their favored competitor as they waited for the match to begin as Hibiki, Echo, and Aria sat at their seats. "Is it me, or are there more people than usual?" Hibiki asked her mother.
"I would imagine that a lot of people want to see this, after all, it's not often the same challenger gets into the finals for the championship five years in a row." Aria told her. Hibiki nodded as she shifted in her seat, a bit uncomfortable with all the noise.
"Did you forget your mufflers sis?" Echo asked. Hibiki nodded before Echo sighed and held out a pair of headphones with sound mufflers on them. "You're lucky that I thought about this situation and bought a pair while we were here." Echo said with a smile.
"Thank you sis." Hibiki told Echo.
"No problem, just be sure to buy me something when this is all said and done." Echo said. Hibiki simply smiled and nodded as she put on the headphones, instantly feeling more comfortable now that a lot of the noise she was hearing was blocked out. After a few more minutes of waiting, the screen buzzed to life as the announcer began to speak.
"All right everyone, it's time for the finale of this year's Pokemon League. Today, we have a once in a lifetime event, where our champion, Symphia Eversong, will be defending her title from the five time finalist, Adagio Starwind. These two have had amazing battles in the past, last year's battle almost ended in a draw, but Symphia barely squeaked out a win. Now then, let's get our competitors out here so they can say a few words."
As the announcer talked, the center of the stadium opened up and an elevator raised the two competitors into the center of the arena. The both waved to the crowd and were met with cheers before they both spoke into a microphone that they each held. "Thank you all for the cheers! I would like to start by saying it's been a pleasure being able to be her so much, even if it might be getting old to some of you." Adagio said.
"Even if they are getting tired of you, people can't deny the matches we've had are probably some of the best fights of my champion career." Symphia responded. That response was immediately met with a thunderous applause.
"Good to hear that the crowd thinks that. So, what do you say we give them another one for them to be amazed by?" Adagio said.
"I do believe we should. Let's make this our most thrilling match yet." Symphia said. With that, the two placed their mics on the ground and walked to their separate sides of the arena.
"Ok, looks like the competitors have said their pieces, now let's start the battle. As I'm sure you're all aware of, this pokemon battle will be using the traditional League rules, meaning each competitor can use any of their six Pokemon and the first one to have three of their Pokemon faint is the loser. Now then is everyone ready for this championship bout to begin?!" the announcer said. The crowd cheered as the two competitors got ready with their pokeballs and looked at each other. "Let the match begin!"
"Let's go Perkari!" Symphia said as she sent out a humanoid pokemon in a pink outfit similar to a Precure.
"We can win this Stageon!" Adagio said as she sent out a bipedal pokemon similar to an Eeveelution with stag beetle-like armor, giving Symphia a brief pause as she saw the Pokemon.
"Prekari, use Agility." Prekari nodded before she concentrated and dashed forward, a trail of sparkles being left behind her. Stageon carefully waited for Prekari to make her first move as he took up a defensive stance. "Use Ice Punch now!" Prekari nodded as she approached and enveloped her fist in frost.
"Dodge and use Bug Buzz!" Stageon nodded and dodged the attack before opening its wings and vibrating them fast, creating a sound wave that really hurt Prekari.
"Not bad, then use Dazzling Gleam!" Prekari shook off the attack before she concentrated and let out a bright, sparkling light, managing to hit Stageon and cause it some damage.
"Use Iron Defense!" Stageon nodded and concentrated as it's shell gleaned with a shiny hardness. Prekari kept her distance as she waited for Symphia thought of a plan. "Close the distance and use X-scissor!" Stageon nodded and ran towards Prekari, pincers glowing a bright green.
"Dodge and follow it up with a Fire Claw!" Prekari nodded and calmed herself as Stageon reared up to attack before she swiftly dodged out of the way. She then quickly striked the back of her opponent with a claw of flame, causing Stageon to scream in pain before jumping away. "Use Bulk up and Curse now!" Prekari concentrated as she felt her muscles get stronger as her body got heavier and calmly waited for the next move.
"Ok Stageon, use Swords Dance!" Stageon nodded and closed its eyes and it felt it's pincers sharpen.
"Prekari, keep your wits about you and watch what he does." Prekari nodded and took a defensive stance.
"Use Double Team and follow it up with Quick Attack!" Stageon nodded as he split into multiple solves and they all immediately dashed forward towards Prekari. As they got closer, Stageon and it's clones started to circle Prekari, hoping to confuse it.
"Trick Room now!" Prekari nodded as she concentrated and produced a sphere around them, causing Stageon to slow down a bit.
"Don't let that stop you! Close in and use X-Scissor." Stageon nodded and closed the gap carefully, expecting her to dodge the attack. As Stageon got closer, he and Adagio were surprised when the attack connected, causing Prekari to wince in pain but seem unaffected nonetheless.
"Fire Claw now!" Prekari nodded as she looked at the Stageon that attacked her and quickly dashed forward and struck him with a strong attack, launching him away and knocking him out.
"Stageon is unable to battle! The score is currently 3-2 with advantage to Symphia."
"Looks like you haven't gone soft." Adagio told Symphia as she recalled Stageon.
"I would say the same to you, that Stageon was new to me. I'm excited to see what other surprises you have in store." Symphia said as Prekari gave a thumbs up.
"As expected of our Champion, she holds nothing back and takes down one of Adagio's Pokemon! Now then -et's se- if s-e ca-... h-l- o-, wh-t's go-" As the announcer spoke, the screen that was displaying her started to crackle with static, causing some murmurs going on throughout the crowd.
"That doesn't normally happen, right mom?" Hibiki asked, a bit of fear in her voice.
"No… it doesn't." Aria said as she looked around. The two challengers saw what was going on and both looked at each other before they walked up to each other.
"Oh damn you hindsight." Symphia said as she witnessed the event
"Something is about to happen isn't it?" Adagio asked. Symphia was about to respond when they heard a sharp shrill shriek and the power to the stadium went out. "Oh that's not good." Adagio said. Almost as if listening to her, they felt the floor beneath them shake as Symphia's eyes widened and people began to panic.
"I think the power to the entire plateau just went out." Symphia said, horror in her voice. Adagio took a moment to process that before they looked at each other and nodded, Symphia taking out the Pokeball to return Prekari before attempting to activate it and realizing that it didn't work. "Oh, this is worse than I thought. Go protect my family and make sure the audience is ok." Symphia said. Prekari nodded and ran towards the audience while Symphia and Adagio both ran to grab something.
"Mommy I'm scared." Echo said as she began to hug her grandma.
"It'll be ok sweetie, everything will be ok." Aria said, reassuring her kids even though she knew that she was wrong. As the stadium shook and the audience began to get up, Hibiki was doing her best to stay calm before she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Prekari next to her.
"Prekari!" Hibiki said, with some joy in her voice. The Pokemon smiled and nodded before wincing a bit in pain from the battle she had. Hibiki, thinking quickly, looked around in her mom's purse before pulling out a Max Potion and using it on Prekari. "Is grandma ok?" Hibiki asked. Before she could get an answer, there was a loud crash and everyone was thrown to the ground knocking them out.
Present day…
"Wow… that must have been really… scary?" Sigma said, a bit in disbelief.
"Yeah it was an experience and I'll continue in a minute, but I need to rest my voice for a bit." Hibiki said, her voice a bit crackly.
"If you don't mind me just clarifying something, the Surge was what caused the power to go out in the League Plateau right?" Sigma asked.
"Not just the League, but Hibiki didn't know that at the time. I was at the lab because I wasn't able to free up time to go see the match in person and power the whole region for a good few hours." Cherry explained.
"Ok, what was up with the Pokeballs not working if you don't mind me asking?" Sigma questioned.
"That is something I'm honestly not entirely sure of myself. Many people still don't know the exact specifics of how Pokeballs work, but the way I've theorized it is that some of the electronics got disrupted when the Surge started. Eventually they started working again because they have a lot of backup systems, but I could not tell you exactly what happened with time." Echo explained.
"Huh… I'm learning a lot today." Sigma said. The group simply nodded as Melody hovered over to Hibiki, who looked like she was mentally preparing herself for something.
"You know you don't have to keep going right? I'm not reading your feelings and I can tell that you're about to talk about something uncomfortable." Melody told her.
"I'm fine with continuing, it's just… it hurts every time I think about it." Hibiki responded mentally. Melody was going to say something else, but realized that Hibiki was resolved to say so she didn't push any further.
"Ok, so to continue where I left off, I had just blacked out…" Hibiki began as she talked again.
Pokemon League, 10 years ago…
"...bi. Hi… Co… ..n W...k up." a far away voice said. Hibiki groaned as she felt herself being shaken by someone, her body in pain as she tried to open her eyes. "Oh you're ok, thank goodness." Echo called out in an excited voice.
"Echo? What happened?" Hibiki said as her eyes adjusted to the light.
"Um… I think you should see it for yourself." Echo said, a bit awkwardly. Hibiki was a bit confused by the response, so she carefully sat up, shook her head, and looked around to see the scene around her. They were in an open room that had parts of its walls torn down and a few emergency lights working with several other people who were either being tended to by medics, laying down unconscious, or helping others. Hibiki, not used to the sight, was horrified and was about to get up before she gripped her head and felt bandages wrapped around her head.
"Did my head split open?" Hibiki asked, a bit afraid about the situation.
"When I woke up, your wound was being tended to. They said it wasn't too bad, no stitches were needed thanks to Blissey and what help she could provide." Echo told her.
"Ok… where's mom, grandma, and Prekari?" Hibiki asked.
"Mom and Prekari are going around helping who they can and looking for grandma. I wanted to go as well, but they told me to stay here and wait for you to wake up. As for grandma, they haven't found her." Echo explained.
"I see, so what should we do now?" HIbiki asked as she looked around.
"Well… we should wait here and make sure you're ok, but I already know you don't want to do that. With that in mind, I was thinking we could go help Mom or look for grandma." Echo suggested.
"I wouldn't mind doing that." Hibiki said with a smile. Echo nodded as she helped Hibiki to her feet and they left the room, ending up in a hallway that was in a similar state to the room. "What happened?" Hibiki asked as she looked at the ruined hallway.
"I honestly don't know, but from what I've heard, apparently the whole plateau lost power and crashed into the mountains." Echo responded. Hibiki nodded, a bit stunned at the fact that this happened as they passed by a few more rooms with people. "From what mom told me, Prekari and a few nurses at the stadium helped as many people as she could to get to empty rooms for treatment and help." Echo told Hibiki.
"Wow, do we know what caused it?" Hibiki questioned.
"I don't know, but maybe we can find out why as we look around." Echo responded. Hibiki nodded and they continued to make their way through the stadium to find their mother. Eventually, they came to a set of stairs and tried to get their bearings with what they remembered of the layout of the stadium. "If I remember right, these are the emergency stairs that lead up to the battle arena." Echo said.
"Do you think we'll find grandma or Adagio there?" Hibiki asked. Echo simply shrugged as they walked up the stairs, reached the top, and entered through the door to the battle arena. When they got outside, the two were shocked to see the arena filled with scattered debris of the stadium walls and stands before looking up to see what looked like the sky vibrating and crackling with electricity. "That's not good." Hibiki said a bit frightened yet awe struck.
"Yeah." Echo said as she looked around.
"Is someone there?" a voice called out. Hibiki and Echo looked at each other and nodded before they both ran over to where the voice was coming from. When they got there, they saw Adagio sitting and leaning against the wall, looking fairly ok aside from a few cuts and bruises.
"Ms. Adagio!" Hibiki said as she ran over.
"Hibiki and Echo… I'm glad to see you two are ok." Adagio said with a small smile.
"We're so glad you're alright, the two of us were worried when you weren't in any of the treatment rooms." Echo said, more than a bit relieved.
"Yeah, I was knocked out until a bit ago. I haven't moved because I'm just letting my body adjust to the pain." Adagio told the two. Hibiki nodded before realizing something and looking around the arena.
"Have you seen our grandmother?" Hibiki asked.
"No, she must have left before I woke up. The two of us were together before we were knocked out." Adagio said. Hibiki nodded sadly as Adagio slowly pushed herself to her feet, standing still for a bit to make sure she wasn't dizzy. "Come on, let's go look for her. Something tells me that she's getting herself in trouble." Adagio told the two of them.
"You're not just going to send us back and wait for our mom?" Echo asked.
"I could, but knowing what family you come from, I would feel better with you two coming with me." Adagio said with a knowing smile. Hibiki and Echo both looked at each other before letting out a small giggle as the three of them left the arena.
The three eventually checked on most of the people who were being treated and injured before making their way out of the stadium. When they got outside, they saw several collapsed buildings, fires in various places and plumes of smoke, and both people and Pokemon trying to clear the rubble and put out the fires. "My god, I had a feeling it would be bad, but I didn't think that it would be this bad." Adagio said in horror as she looked around.
"Yeah…" Hibiki said, more than stunned at the sight.
"Are two sure you want to come with me? I can tell you've been exposed to a bit, but I definitely don't want to expose you two to any danger." Adagio asked.
"We're sure." Echo said. Adagio nodded and made sure the two were close by her as they began to walk forward. As they walked along, they continued to see damage to buildings and people helping each other out where they could.
"It honestly disgusts me that this happened, but I'm happy that people are helping each other." Adagio said as she looked around. The two nodded and looked around at the carnage around them, taking comfort in the fact that people were indeed helping others. After a few minutes of walking, Adagio stopped and got out one of her Pokeball before attempting to activate it. "Still no good, if only these were working." Adagio said to herself.
"Are your Pokeballs not working?" Echo asked.
"Nope, I wish they were so we could have some form of help." Adagio said as she put away the Pokeball. The three stood there for a moment as they thought of there to go next when they heard someone calling for help. "...God I can't leave that alone." Adagio said before running in the direction of the cry. Hibiki and Echo ran after her and the three arrived at a collapsed building before seeing a person and a Pokemon trying to move rubble from a blocked doorway, the cry they heard earlier coming from inside the building.
"Mom! Prekari!" Echo called as they ran up. Aria looked over at the three of them running up and was more than a little surprised to see them there.
"What are you three doing here?" Aria asked, her voice a bit strained.
"We were looking for grandma and came when we heard a cry for help." Adagio explained.
"Fair enough, now come and help us out. Prekari is getting exhausted and I'm not the strongest person in the world." Aria told them. Adagio nodded, joining Aria and Prekari in attempting to move the rubble out of the way, while Hibiki and Echo looked around for something they could do. Echo, remembering something she learned, immediately noticed some metal pipes on the ground and ran over to grab a relatively sturdy one.
"We could use this, come on!" Echo told her sister. Hibiki nodded and the two proceeded to jam the pip under the rubble before pushing down with all of their might. Eventually, the five managed to move the rubble out of the way, clearing the entrance to the building and letting the people inside free. As they exited, they gave thanks and one even gave an Oran Berry to Prekari, which she kindly accepted.
"Thanks for the help, any luck so far on finding your grandmother?" Aria asked the two, leaning against the wall to rest for a bit.
"No, what's the situation been like out here?" Adagio responded.
"It's bad, several buildings collapsed, several fires, everything is non functional at the moment. In short, things are really not going well. Me and Prekari have been doing our best to help where we can, but it's just too much." Aria explained.
"Ok, you two should probably get back to the stadium and rest. We'll see if we can find Symphia." Adagio said. Aria opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it as she realized that Adagio was right.
"All right, we'll head back." Aria said a bit begrudgingly. Adagio nodded and was going to say something when she felt one of her Pokeballs activate. She quickly checked and threw the ball, sending out her Alarian Gardevoir.
"Looks like Pokeballs are working again, so that's one good thing for us." Adagio said as she returned her Gardevoir to her Pokeball. Aria nodded and started to walk again before she felt her legs start to give out on her, being caught by Prekari and Echo.
"I think I'm going to go with Mom to make sure she doesn't just collapse on the way back." Echo said.
"That's smart, I'm probably going to stick with Adagio and look for grandma. If we find her, we'll come back and let you know." Hibiki told them.
"Ok… just stay safe. I don't know what I would do if something happened to you." Aria said with an understanding smile. Hibiki nodded as Aria, Prekari, and Echo all left to go back to the stadium.
"All right then, since I have my pokemon back, this should be a lot easier of a search." Adagio told Hibiki. Hibiki nodded before they left the area and continued their search. After a good hour and a half of searching and helping others where they could, the two heard an explosion in the distance.
"That can't be good." Hibiki said, more than a little shocked. Adagio nodded as they made their way over to the area of the explosion. As they got closer, they saw a Shiny Gardevoir on the ground, one that they both recognized. "Hikiari!" Hibiki exclaimed as she dashed forward. As she reached the Gardevoir, she saw that Hikari had its heart cracked and had streaks of blood below it's eyes. It groaned softly as its eyes flicked slightly open, smiling upon seeing Hibiki despite barely hanging on to life.
"What happened? Where's Symphia?" Adagio asked as she approached. Hikari weakly lifted her hand and pointed to a nearby building. "Wait here Hibiki and comfort Hikari. Before you ask, I don't know if we can save her." Adagio said before walking to the building. Hibiki held out her hand towards Adagio but said nothing as she entered the building, leaving her alone with a slowly fading Hikari. Almost as if sensing her distress, Hikari put a hand on Hibiki's head and smiled faintly.
"It's going to be ok Biki." Hikari mentally said.
"Hikari? … Please don't do anything, we're going to get you help." Hibiki told her, a bit of panic in her voice.
"It'll be fine, just trust me. Even if it might seem scary, know that me and your grandmother will always be watching over you." Hikari said. Hibiki was about to ask her what she meant when Adagio exited the building, visibly shaking as she walked over to Hibiki and Hikari. "Adagio?" Hibiki asked.
"...Go. She said she wants to spend her last moments with you." Adagio said, her voice shaking a bit. Hibiki gulped before she mentally prepared herself and walked towards the building. After she entered it and looked around before seeing Symphia sitting on the floor and leaning against the wall, blood coming from her head and her dress torn in some places.
"Hey Biki…" Symphia said in a soft and hoarse voice. Hibiki stayed quiet for a moment before she clenched her fists and ran up to her grandmother's side, tears starting to roll down her face.
"Why?! Why did this have to happen to you?! You promised me that when I became a trainer, you would battle me as champion! WHY?!" Hibiki yelled as she started to cry.
"Sorry, looks like I can't keep that promise after all." Symphia said, putting a hand on Hibiki's head to comfort her.
"Is this it then? Is there really no way to save you?" Hibiki asked in a quiet voice.
"Yeah, even if I could get help, there's no guarantee that I could live. …I'm sorry." Symphia said as tears started to roll down her face. Hibiki said nothing as she continued to cry, the two embracing what little time they had left together.
"At least answer me this, was it worth it? Becoming a Pokemon Champion?" Hibiki asked. Symphia smiled at that and closed her eyes, thoughts drifting back to her past.
"As a champion, I've seen a lot over the last 20 years. I've seen people of all walks of life with a lot of good and a lot of bad from all over the world, same for Pokemon. Needless to say, I've learned that the world is harsh. That being said, when you two were born, it was one the happiest days of my life and my time with you has been some of my best. That's why I vowed to always protect the region we call home, as well as the people that live in it, above all else. Even if I were to die, I would be happy knowing that you all were safe. What I want you to take away is this; even though I may have died as a pokemon champion, being one is what has made my life the best it has been."
After Symphia finished talking, she coughed loudly as Hibiki looked away in pain. "Biki, I want you to have this." Symphia said. As Hibiki turned back, she saw Symphia taking off her locket and holding it out to her.
"Your locket?" Hibiki said as she carefully took it.
"Think of it as a last gift. I was going to give it to you when you became Champion, but it's yours now." Symphia told Hibiki. Hibiki looked at the locket with tears before she clenched it and looked at her grandmother with a look of determination and sadness.
"If that's the case then watch over me. Watch me become a Champion that you would be proud of!" Hibiki exclaimed in a sorrowful but determined voice.
"That's my girl." Symphia said happily with a smile. Hibiki nodded before she put on the necklace, looking down at it and giving a sad smile. "I want to ask one last, selfish thing of you." Symphia said.
"What is it?" Hibiki questioned.
"Do you think you could sing that song you like so much? I know that it might not be the most appropriate thing to ask, but do you think you could honor a last request?" Symphia asked.
"...Yeah, I think I can do that." Hibiki said. Hibiki took a moment to calm herself down the best she could before she started singing. As she sang, Symphia closed her eyes and enjoyed the song that her granddaughter sang, smiling as she did so. Eventually, Hibiki finished the song and looked at her grandmother who looked down at her granddaughter.
"Thank you Biki, you make me proud to be a grandmother." Symphia said weakly. Hibiki, doing her best to hold back her tears while she was singing, let them flow again as she hugged her grandmother. The two stayed there in silence, enjoying their last moments together as Hibiki cried. Eventually, Symphia moved her hand off of Hibiki's head, letting her know that it was time. "I love you… Biki…" Symphia said softly before closing her eyes.
"I love you too grandma." Hibiki said as she got up from her grandmother's side. As she walked out of the building, Adagio was waiting by the doorway, waiting for her. "Thank you Adagio." Hibiki said, her voice more than a bit hoarse. Adagio simply nodded silently and put a hand on her shoulder before she called out her Flygon and the two headed back to the stadium.
Present day…
As Hibiki ended her story, tears running down her face, she felt a hand on her shoulder and saw Echo next to her. "I… I'm…" Sigma said, not knowing what to say.
"You don't have to say anything. I shared this because it felt right." Hibiki said, her voice strained from talking and tearing up.
"...Why? Why share this information with a random stranger you met and who tried to kill you?" Sigma asked.
"Because I felt like it and like I said before, you're not a bad person, just one that's had a rough life till now." Hibiki explained with a smile.
"I get that, but I can tell that there's more to it. I won't push it if it's what I think it is, but I would like to know." Sigma responded. Hibiki was quiet for a moment before giggling and smiling.
"How are you always so on point with your guesses?" Hibiki asked happily.
"I guess that my psychology studies have paid off in a way." Sigma responded, a small smile on his face.
"Well if I had to say why, it's probably because of what our grandmother told me that day. I really took her last words to heart and have been doing my best to help out people when I can." Hibiki told Sigma.
"Even if you are reckless about it at times." Echo commented. Hibiki lightly punched Echo on the arm, earning a giggle from her sister as Sigma smiled.
"If you don't mind me asking, what happened to their bodies?" Sigma questioned.
"We buried them near our home of Melodic Town, both in graves next to each other. It didn't feel right to separate them." Hibiki said
"Ok, then I suppose that I have two more questions, do you know what caused that explosion?" Sigma asked.
"That… is actually something we don't truly know as there wasn't a cause found. Some people think it was something that happened while our grandma was saving people, some think that someone attacked her." Hibiki explained.
"Even the IPP couldn't find out when they investigated, so they closed the case with Symphia's death being ruled as an accident." Cherry commented.
"Wow, that… sounds a bit too convenient to me." Sigma said.
"Oh you think someone caused the explosion as well?" Echo asked. Sigma raised an eyebrow before Echo pointed to her and Hibiki, who simply nodded in response.
"From what you told me, and I completely understand there's probably some bias in there, it sounds like it was something or someone that caused that explosion." Sigma said.
"Well, thankfully for my mind, they have reopened the case and given it to us. There really isn't a lot to go off of and we can't see the site as it was cordoned off after they rebuilt the League, so we'll see what we can do." Hibiki told Sigma.
"That actually brings me to my last question as I don't want to stain your voice too much, how long did it take to rebuild the League?" Sigma asked.
"Four years from what I understand, they began reconstruction about a month after the incident, but then the Blackout Events started to happen and they had to rethink how they were going to continue. They eventually found a way and rebuilt it with better protections while trying to keep the old style intact." Echo responded. Sigma nodded before Hibiki yawned loudly and rubbed her eyes.
"I think we should probably get some sleep. We've got a ship to catch in the morning and we're going to need to make good time if we want to get there to catch it." Cherry said.
"That sounds like a good idea." Echo said as she moved over to her tent.
"Agreed. I'll see you all in the morning." Sigma responded. The group all headed into their respective tents before wishing each other goodnight.
"Hey Hibiki, mind if I tell you something?" Melody asked inside the tent.
"What's up?" Hibiki responded.
"... Thank you for taking me in. Even if it was by chance, I've really been enjoying my time with you." Melody said, turning her head away as she blushed.
"It's no problem. Like I said, I do my best to help others even if I'm a bit reckless about it." Hibiki told Melody with a smile.
"Yeah… and I'm sorry about your grandmother." Melody said.
"Nothing to be sorry about, though I do appreciate the sentiment." Hibiki said. Melody simply nodded as she laid down on her little cot.
"Have a good night Hibiki." Melody said as she went to sleep.
"Goodnight Melody." Hibiki told her partner. Hibiki laid down and as she was falling asleep, she smiled knowing that she had nothing to hide from Sigma now. Unknown to her, a pink glow emanated from her back as more powers flowed through her.
AN: So... I hope you liked the Chapter, this was honestly one of my best in my opinion. Also, if any new fakemon appear in a chapter from now on, I will put them in the end of Chapter notes. Since this is going to be the first time doing this, I will put in any previous fakemon/regional variants that have appeared so far. One last thing, for those curious about the song that Hibiki sang, here you go: /yIDw2Gfg-IU
Pokemon:
Prekari: Fairy/Fighting
Stageon: Bug
Alarian Ralts: Psychic/Electric
Alarian Kirlia: Psychic/Electric
Alarian Gardevoir: Psychic/Electric
Valgardian Ralts: Steel/Fairy